Aussie Cricket | Leg Spin

High Five: SL v Aus, 1st Test

Firstly, how brilliant was the 176 by Kusal Mendis? The first Test hundred by the 21 year-old, and thoroughly deserved too, capitalising on a lull by the Aussies and going deep into triple figures. Incredibly, 55 was the second highest score for the Test by any batsman.

After Mendis was dismissed in Sri Lanka’s second innings, why did Mitch Starc and Josh Hazlewood persist with trying to bounce Sri Lanka’s tailenders out? Considering the Test had a record number of LBW dismissals, full and straight was the order of the day. Instead, an extra 60 runs enlarged the Australian deficit, which was too many anyway.

The pitch wasn’t exactly a ‘mine-field’ It had plenty of turn and not much grass, but Rangana Herath and Lakshan Sandakan (on debut, if you don’t mind) bowled patiently and, Herath in particular, accurately.

People will criticise Mitch Marsh’s batting once again, but only Steve Smith and Adam Voges scored more than him in this Test for Australia. His bowling was probably under-utilised in the second innings too, bowling just nine overs. He’s worth persisting with.

How do the Aussies improve enough for Galle to get themselves back into the series? Conditions are likely to be similar and Australia might be playing a debutant in Jon Holland. Time for the batsmen to really grit their teeth and make an impact on this Warne-Muralitharan series.